Ri Caishin
"Reveal yourself, Shi no Te" Ri Caishin (魁信 俐, Caishin Ri) is the lieutenant of the 3rd Division. His captain is Theron Ascania. Appearance Ri is tall, topping out at 6'3. He is long-limbed and lanky. His musculature is well-defined, but not bulky. His hair is honey-colored, brown with golden highlights. He keeps his hair above his shoulders, but still rather long for a man. A brilliant white streak passes from his front left forelock to the back left of his head. His eyes are gray, luminous and silver when excited, dark when upset or confused. His pale skin burns easily in the Sun. Personality Ri can seem distant, calculating and cold when he is not known well. As you come to know him, it becomes apparent that Ri values his honor and his duties far more than he honors his well-being. He is generous to those less fortunate, and open-handed with his time and energy, even to a fault. Other students questioned outright his fierce dedication and involvement in the lives of common citizens in greater Rukongai, but he remained firm in this desire. Ri will dash head-long into danger too big for him when the lives of those unable to fend for themselves are at risk. History Ri came to Soul Society some 220 years ago, and confesses, perhaps too strenuously, to remember little of his life before. When he first came to Rukongai, he worked as a Rickshaw porter for twenty-two years. In a sudden stroke of apparent good fortune, he came to a position as a Page and then Aide, and finally Majordomo of the estates in the 12th District of East Rukongai for the minor noble house of Kikeretsu. A long and happy time passed, but under mysterious circumstances, the Kikeretsu estate was destroyed. As one of the only adult survivors, doubt and suspicion fell on Ri, and he was cast out by the remaining cadet members of the Kikeretsu house. Ri traveled for several years, seeking work and a new home, but he was unable to find a position, for news had spread of the misfortune of Kikeretsu. Only through the kindness of many commoners did Ri manage to keep from starvation, although he worked as he was able, hooded or cloaked in the most menial of positions - shoveling manure and unloading great hoppers of coal. Eventually, feeling guilty at the burden placed on his struggling patrons, and desperately seeking answers to his many questions, he decided to seek out the Spirit Academy. Filthy and homeless, Ri came at last to the Academy, hoping he had found a new purpose and life within the ranks of the Shinigami. After 6 years of dedicated study, he has graduated in the upper quartile of his class. He hopes now to repay the many kindnesses he has been given, and find answers to the mysteries in his past. Synopsis Coming soon... Powers & Abilities Zanjutsu Master Hohō Master Kidō Expert 'Feats & Techniques' Unique Feats *'Improved Wind Manipulation': Through extensive practice and meditation with his sword's spirit, Ri has learned to improve his level of control over the powers of his Zanpakutō. In addition to granting him the ability to manifest an additional wind-blade (moving his current count from 3 to 4), Ri has learned to force the wind fragments to assume a different shape. The shape must be roughly the same size as a wind-blade, neither significantly larger nor smaller. The blades cannot be made sharper, nor do they have more mass or in any other way improved killing potential. The objects can be dull, or even rounded. This power is useful in a variety of non-combat situations. The cost of shaping an existing wind-blade is the same as manifesting one, 100 reiatsu. It's possible to re-shape an already shaped wind-blade, for an additional 100 reiatsu. Ri can manifest a wind-blade, already shaped, but the cost is the same as manifest a wind-blade and shaping it as separate actions, 200 reiatsu. *'Wind Perception': Ri's meditative exercises and increased connection to the Kamiarshi has paid off with increased coordination with the Kamiarashi. For a flat cost of 100 reiatsu, Ri is able to create a connection to any particular wind-blade for a single hour; through this connection, Ri is able to see and hear through that wind-blade as though he were present. He is not able to use reiatsu sensing abilities through these intermediaries. Ri can choose to repay the flat cost to re-connect to any wind-blade. The power is not explicitly range-limited, but destruction of the wind-blade destroys the connection and annuls the investment. Moreover, Wind Perception is cognitively demanding. Ri must remain stationary, preferably seated comfortably, to use this ability. Taking any physical actions, besides maintaining breath and posture, renders the connection inoperable until he can refocus himself. The connection remains but cannot be utilized. General Feats * Reverse Slipstream: Adapted from the technique that former 3rd Division Captain Ritoru Furōsha introduced to the 12th division, Reverse Slipstream is a more of an individual attack maneuver compared to its team/movement-based cousin still housed within the division of assassins. If a target attempts a flash step or any other enhanced mode of travel, the user can enter their slipstream and travel at the same speed to the same relative location at a fraction of the cost. Instead of the user bringing people into their own wake, Reverse Slipstream allows the 3rd Division officer to force themselves into the reiatsu patterns of others by expending a percentage of their own reiatsu based on relative hohou stat. Free against those weaker, 1% against those of relative strength and 2% against those of at least 2 times higher. Items Ri has taken the ethos of the 3rd Division a bit farther than is perhaps intended. It is now his custom to take the mask of every significant Hollowfied enemy he meets. The mask that is currently in bold is the one that Caishin is wearing, when he chooses to wear a mask. Others hang in his office: *'Nashru's Mask': Nashru was Ri's first significant kill after rejoining the Third as a Hollow Suppression Specialist. Nashru was able to wield Shinigami Zanpakutō he managed to recover from the battle-field. In this battle, he wielded the Beniō (紅王''Crimson King''), a Zanpakutō able to cut through anything. Zanpakutō Kamiarashi (神嵐, Divine Storm) is a katana blade made to his height; the blade appears to be made of blued steel; twin fullers run the length of the blade, joining near the tip. The tsuba is made of ivory and bears a silvered engraving of the Four Winds at play. :Manifestation: The Kamiarashi are represented by four figures, each of which represents a Wind. The North Wind is represented by an old man, garbed in white and lined with age but fell in aspect. The East Wind is a young man, who appears angelic, but his hands and gray robes are stained with blood. The West Wind is another young man, garbed in blue, but he seems kindlier. The South Wind is a woman, garbed in red and with blindingly white hair. The Four Winds at time disagree on methods, although it is only together that they can provide Ri with any power. *'Shikai': Kamiarashi is released by the phrase "Let the winds blow" (風を吹かせてください, kaze wo fuka setekudasai). Upon speaking the release phrase, Ri's Zanpakutō melts away and disappears. :Shikai Special Ability: In this form, Ri has demonstrated the ability to manipulate wind. :*'Kazeha' (風刃, Blades of Wind): Although Ri has lost the physical form of his Zanpakutō; Kamiarashi accomodates that by allowing him to form blades of wind. Initially, the number of blades that can be manifested is 2. This number increases per 3,000 Connection (so 3 blades at 4,000 Connection, 4 blades at 7,000 Connection). If he chooses, Ri can wield one of these blades directly, in which case it functions essentially as his Zanpakutō. He cannot form the blade directly inside of an object or person. He can dissipate a blade at will. Manifesting a blade of wind costs Ri 100 reiatsu per blade. :*'Kaze no Tōmeisei' (風の透明性, Transparency of the Wind): The manifested blades are difficult to see for those of insufficient power. They are composed of constantly shifting wind, and are difficult to distinguish from the texture of the air itself. :*'Kazete' (風手, Hands of Wind): The wind touches everyone; Kamiarashi allows him to not only manifest the Blades of Wind, but to wield them effecitvely in battle. Ri may use the blades he is able to manifest as though he were directly wielding them, using his Zanjutsu stat as normal. The blade's movement is limited by Ri's own abilities, and as such are limited by his Hohō stat. Ri cannot push the blades farther than he could travel himself in a single turn. In addition, Ri can use his Blades of Wind ability to manipulate one additional object. This movement is not abrupt enough to be considered a strike or an attack, instead it applies steady consistent pressure, such as that necessary to hold a door closed or to open a window. Fine and precise actions, such as feeding a coin into a coin machine, cannot be done with this level of manipulation.